Carbon bond diamonds and recycled gold: Jane Goodall cooperates with jeweler Brilliant Earth

Concerns about recycled gold have become so great that Signet, reportedly the world's largest diamond jewelry retailer, rejected the term entirely this summer. “Recycling should really only apply to products that are intentionally diverted from a waste stream. And gold is rarely, if ever, part of a waste stream,” the company said in a statement.

Experts also say that gold mining is not going away – it is the lifeline of too many communities around the world that rely on small-scale mining, and the best thing jewelry companies can do is encourage those communities to adopt more responsible mining practices and help them maintain them. Ignoring the problem only helps perpetuate it, they say.

Brilliant Earth says it works diligently with suppliers to improve the integrity of its gold sources. “We are committed to transparency across the industry to ensure we are driving sustainable change throughout the supply chain,” Gerstein says. “We believe all of these ongoing efforts are necessary to move the industry toward more responsible and transparent practices when dealing with our gold sources.” The brand also works with initiatives that support responsible small-scale mining practices, but recycled gold was the only choice for the recent product launch, Gerstein says.

Dr. Goodall, whose nonprofit aims to “protect chimpanzees and inspire people to preserve the natural world we all share,” already has partnerships in a number of sectors (including fashion) in an attempt to both educate people about the issues facing these industries and model different – more ethical and environmentally responsible – business practices. Jewelry is the latest sector she's turning her attention to, and its unprecedented importance. Brilliant Earth hopes Dr. Goodall's support will underscore the urgency of the issues the brand is working to solve and the need to upend the industry's often destructive status quo.

The partnership between the jewelry brand and the conservation icon began over a year ago, according to Gerstein. To celebrate Dr. Goodall's 90th birthday in the spring, the Brilliant Earth Foundation donated $100,000 to the Jane Goodall Institute as an “inaugural contribution” and announced at the time that a collection would be released later that year. Brilliant Earth will donate additional funds to the Jane Goodall Institute through sales of the collection. “The overall goal is to support her legacy,” says Gerstein.

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